Machine for stretching uppers



`(No Model.) 5 sheetssheet 1 W. S. HAMM.

MAGHINE POR STRETGHING UPPERS.

Patented Dec. 28, 1897.

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W. S. HAMM. MACHINE PoR STRETGHING UPPERS. No. 596,325. ,o Patented Dec.28, 1897, I d@ d5 ZM i CZ? '11!1 CZ* il CZ I, nn O O P.

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l(No Model.) 5 sheets-'sheet 3. W. S. HAMM. MACHINE 4POR STRETGHINGUPPERS.

Patented Deo. 28,1897.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

W. s HAMM. MACHINE POR STRBTGHING UPPBRS. No. 596,325. Patenti-3d Deo.28,1897.

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Patented Deo. Z8, 1897.'

INVENTDH; ZM' (5t M I o @t WILLIAM S. HAMM, OF NFNV'TON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO AUGUSTUS- SEAVER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR S-'I'RETCl-lllalG UPPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,325, dated December28, 1897. Application iled January 22, 1897. Serial No. 620,208. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. HAMM, of Newton, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Stretching Uppers, of which thefollowing is a speciiication.

This invention relates to machines for stretching uppers over theirlast-s prior to their being secured to the insoles; and it has for itsobject to providea machine which may be operated to secure the drawingof the uppers over the lasts efcaciously and with the least expenditureof power and which will be so constructed that after an upper has beendrawn taut the last may be reversed and the upper secured to the insolewithout removing them from the machine.

To these ends the invention consists of a machine embodying thosefeatures of construction and arrangement which are illus# trated in thedrawings and which are now to be described in detail, and then pointedout in the claims hereto annexed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part ofthis specification,` in which like letters of reference indicate thesame parts or features wherever they occur.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of machineembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the same.Fig. 3 is a plan View of the same.

Fig. et is a front end elevation of the machine with the base of thestandard broken away and the head of the machine reversed or swung uponits axis, so as to bring the sole uppermostfor the purpose of securingthe upper thereto. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are crosssections showing theaction of the gri ppers in grasping the edges of the upper and drawingit taut on the last. Fig. S is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 1. Fig.9 is a section on the line 9 9 of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectionon the line 10 10 of Fig. 2. Fig. 11 is an enlarged section on the line11 11 of Fig. 3. Fig. 12 is an enlarged 12 of Fig. 3.

In carrying out my invention, which it will be understood is not limitedto those details of construction which I have elected to illustrate inthe drawings and which I shall now section on the line 12 chine.

proceed to describe, I employ a standard a, having a suitable flattenedbase a and a laterally-projectin g bracket c2, in which are supportedsome of the operative parts of the ma- Upon the upper end of thestandard a is s ecured a bearing-bracket CL3, having a suitablesleeve-like bearing c4. The casting or head b, upon which are mountedthe grippers for drawing the upper taut over the last, is .provided witha tubular trunnion b', projecting through the bearing a4 and equipped onits other end with a notched collar h2 and with an arm b3, clampedthereto, and provided with a counterbalancing weight .194. The head orbracket b (shown in Figs. 1 and 12) is curved downwardly andforwardlyand is formed with two steps or abutments c c, havingupwardly-projecting points c' to receive the last, there being a recessor cutaway portion between the steps, as more clearly shown in Fig. 12.The head is provided with an upwardly-projecting bracket d, in which isrotatably clamped by a cap d' a stud d2, which is formed at itsforwardlyprojecting end into a bearing d3 to receive avertically-movable bar d4, having a point d5 to enter a recess in thelast, as, shown in Fig. 1, and to clamp it against the steps on the heador bracket b.

It will be seen that the bar d4 is arranged in advance of the rear stepc, so as to cause the last to be clamped firmly against both sets ofprojections c c'. The bar is formed for a portion of its length withrack-teeth, with which a pinion d@ on a shaft di, equipped with ahand-wheel'cls, engages and by means of which the bar may be raised orlowered. Its upper reduced and threaded end d is provided with twolockingnuts d10, between which and the upper end of the bearing CZSisplaced a strong helical spring d of su'liicient strength to'raise thebar d5 to its uppermost position. For the purpose of locking the bar atany desired position I provide a springheld cam C112, secured to astud-shaft mounted in the bearing cl3 and adapted to be held by itsspring Z13 against the bar, as shown in Fig. 10. When the hand-wheel d8has been rotated, so as to force the bar d4 downward, the cam CX12 bearsagainst the said bar and locks it against upward movement. The

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shaft of the cam is provided with a handle (ZM, whereby when the cam isrocked against the stress of the spring and out oi engagement with thebar the spring d will force the bar upward to its normal elevatedposition.

The machine is so constructed that after the last is clamped upon thesteps by the bar i or clamping devices just described the whole head maybe rotated, so as to reverse the last and bring its sole uppermost. Inorder to lock the head at any desired position, the notched collar b2isprovided, as hereinbefore stated, there being a latch e pivoted in earsc' and which is adapted to enter any one of the notches in the collar.mally held in engagement with the walls of the notches by a spring c2,but it is adapted to be drawn out from engagement therewith by afoot-lever c3, passing through the standard and pivoted on the base aand having its rear end connected with the end of the latch by anadjustable link el, as shown in Fig. l. By depressing the end oi.' thefoot-lever c3 the latch is disengaged from the collar, and the operatormay then freely swing the head around in any desired position.

For the purpose ot' stretching the upper over the last I employ two setsof grippers on each side of the last which are arranged to draw theedges of the upper down and then under the last to entirely remove allthe wrinkles and creases and t the upper perfectly upon the last; and inaddition thereto the grippers which stretch the toe portion of the upperare arranged to slide forward, so as to stretch the upper not onlytransversely of the last, but `longitudinally thereof also.

I do not provide a gripper for the extreme toe end of the upper, as thestretching of the upper in the central longitudinal line of the last isaccomplished by manually-operated pincers, which are adapted to berested or fulcrumed in notches c2 c2 in the forward end of the head orbracket. Preferably the grippers on each side of the last are arranged`to grasp the upper at a point between the heel and the ball or at theshank and at a point in front of the ball; and hence the first-mentionedgrippers are arranged to move only downward and transversely of thelast, while the latter are arranged to be moved downwardly and inwardand forward by means of devices to be described.

I shall first describe the grippers which are arranged beneath the shankof the last.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 5, G, '7, and S, it will be seenthat the head or bracket b is provided with two laterally-pro jectinglugs ff, with grooves or depressions, in which are clamped by caps fftwo bars f2 f2, the ends of which are secured in brackets ffi", whichproject upwardly and outwardly. The bars f2 are preferably formed withenlarged heads f, having ears or lugs f5, and the brackets f3 are eachformed with an inwardly-projecting lug f6 to receive the lower end ofthe bar, being secured to the head f4 The latch is nor` by screws f7.(Shown in dotted lines in Fig. S.) In the lugs f5 of the bars f2 arepivoted arms g g, each of which is provided at its upper end with a jawg', adapted to cooperate with a jaw g3, mounted on another arm g2, whichis movable in parallelism to the arm g. rlhe arms g and gzare connectedby cross-links g4 g5, which are pivoted together at their intersectionand are pivoted at their upper ends to the said arms, They are eachprovided with a pin projecting into slots in the said arms, and thelinks g5 are each provided with an extension g, so that by raising orlowering the latter the jaws g and g3 may be caused to approach orrecede from each other. For operating the two sets of grippers in unisonI provide the following devices: 71, 7L' are toggle-levers pivotedtogether and respectively pivoted to the ends of the extensions g" ofthe links g5 and to the upper ends oi' the brackets f3. Springs h2 holdthe jaws g g3 normally open and the arms g outward, the latter' beingprovided with lingers rf with adjustable screws g8, abutting againststops g on the brackets, which limit their outward movcment. The springsZ1,2 are assisted in maintaining the arms g in their outward positionsby additional springs 7b3, each of which has one end attached to afinger g7 and the other end attached to a pin on the bracket f3. Thehead or main bracket Z) is provided with a socket Z110 to receive avertically-movable pin t', which projects thereinto and which is formedon the end of a bar i', projecting below the head. The bar i' isprovided with a cross-bar i2, the outer ends of which are connected bychains 3 with the pivots ZU* of the toggle-levers 71, 7L', so that bydrawing downward on the bar 'i' the toggle-levers are straightened out,with the result that the edges of the upper are clamped between the jawsg g3 and are drawn downward and under the last, as pictured in Figs. 5,(i, and 7, which show the various positions of the parts as this isbeing accomplished. In order to lock the jaws in their operative lockingpositions, a cam i5 is secured to a shaft i, mounted in the head l) andprovided with a handle il, as shown in Fig. l. The spring is holds thecam against the pin t', so that when the bar t" is drawn downward thecam Z5 engages it and prevents any backward movement until it is movedout of engagement therewith by the handle Z7.

The grippers for the edges of the upper near the toe end of the last areshown in Figs. 9, 11, and 12, to which reference is to bc had.

The bracket l) is provided at its forward end with a slidewayj toreceive a carriage Zr., having tongues Zt sliding in said slideway andheld therein by strips 7a2. The carriage is adapted to be reciprocatedor adjusted by a screw Z, having its end threaded into a nut Z', formedin the under side of the head and having on its outer end a sleeve Z2,formed with a hand-wheel Z3. The screw Z is formed with a flange Z13abuttingagainst the carriage, so that by turning the hand-wheel in onedi- IOO IIO

hand-wheel in the other direction it will be drawn forward, as will bereadily seen. The carriage is formed with two outwardly-projecting wingsor plates k12, suitably braced by webs k3 and formed at their outer endswith split bearings k4, in which are mounted or journaled posts m. Thelatter may be locked in position by bolts h5, which actv to clamp thebearings 7a4 firmly therearound. Projecting outward from each post is anarm m', formed therewith and on the end of which a collar m2 is clamped,as shown in Fig. 9. Keyed to each arm m', so as to be prevented fromrotating, while free to slide longitudinally therein, is a sleeve m3,formed with an ear or lug m4, into which the screw m5 is threaded. Eachscrew m5, which is provided with a hand-wheel m6, passes loosely througha lug m7 on the collar m2 and, as just stated', is threaded into the lugm4 on the sleeve m3, so that when the hand-wheel lm6 is turned in onedirection or the other the sleeve m3 is forced forward or back along thearm m. The sleeve 'm3 is likewise provided with two upwardly-projectingears m8, between which and in which is pivoted a lever n, which passesthrough an aperture m9 in the post m and is provided on its end with agrippingarm fn, having a jaw n2. The lever n rests upon a pin m10,inserted in a socket in the postm and resting against a spring m11,which latter rests upon a disk m1?, which may be adjusted by a screw m13to regulate the tension of the spring. The spring 'm11 is of sufcientstrength to cause the pin m10 to hold the lever n in its uppermostposition, there being an adjustable screw m14, which acts as a stop tolimit the upward movement of said lever.

Connected to the arm 'n' by cross-links 0 0', similar to those describedat g4 and g5, is another gripping-arm n3, likewise equipped with a jawn4 to cooperate with the jaw n2, above referred to. The gripping-arm n3may be moved toward and from the gripping-arm n and in parallelismtherewith by means of chains p p, connected to a cross-bar q and toextensions 02 of the links 0. The cross-bar q is mountedupon a stud g3,projecting-rearward from a hanger Q4, having a downwardly andrearwardlyprojecting finger Q5 for a purpose to be described, whichhanger is secured upon the lower end of a bar q, sliding in a socket7914 in the carriage lc. A locking-cam r on a shaft r', mounted in thecarriage la and provided with a handle r2, is held in engagement withthepin Q6 by a spring r3, so that after the hanger g4 has been depressedto cause the jaws n2 n4 to engage the edges of the upper and draw thelatter downward the cam fr engages the pin Q6 and holds the grippers intheir operative position.

In drawing upon the chains p p to cause the gripping of the edges of theuppers the levers are swung downward and the 'upper is drawn taut bythem over the last.

By mounting the grippers on the post m it is permitted to adjust thegrippers so that their gripping-jaws will lie parallel to the sole ofthe last irrespective of the particular shape of the latterthat is tosay, if the toe of the last is pointed the two sets of jaws can beadjusted so that each set will be parallel to the edge of the soleadjacent to it.

The rear gripping-jaws may remain parallel and do not need to beadjusted, while in order that the machine may be used for all sizes andstyles of shoes it is essential that the forward grippers may beadjusted to lie at any angle to each other, and hence this is one of theimportant features of my invention.

To assist the clamps in holding the posts against rotation when there isa lateral strain on the ends of the lever n n, caused by the carriagebeing drawn forward, I provide each post m with an extension m15, formedinto a segmental ratchet, with the teeth of which a dog m16, pivoted onthe plate 7G12, is' caused to engage by a spring m17.

When the levers are adj usted with the posts m, the .dogs m16 engage theteeth of the segmental ratchets and lock the posts against backwardrotation.

For the purpose of drawing downward upon the bar t" and the hanger g4 tooperate the grippers I provide foot-levers S and t, respectively,fulcrumed on the base ct.

In the bracket d2,before mentioned,I mount two sliding bars s and t',which are connected to the foot-levers by adjustable pivoted links s2and t2 and which are normally held in their raised positions by springss3 t3.

The bar s is equipped at its upper end with a yoke 84, withinwardly-projecting fingers S5, between which the bar i may freely pass,but which will, when said bar is between them and thevrod or bar s isdepressed, engage an enlargement or head 2512 on the bar 'i' and draw itdownward. The upper end of the bar t is provided with a head t4, whichprojects forward, so as to lie above the finger Q5 of the hanger 14 whenthe head, with the grippers, is in the position shown in Fig. l, so thatwhen the lever t is depressed the hanger g4 is drawn downward and thegrippers connected therewith consequently operated.

Upon depressingeither of the foot-levers s ort the cross-bar t2 or thecross-bar q and their corresponding grippers are actuated, and uponremoving the foot from said levers they are elevated by the springs s3or f3, while the grippers remain locked by the hereinbeforedescribeddevices.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The insole is secured on thelast by several tacks, and after the upper is drawn over the last thelatter is placed on the abutments on the head, after which it is rigidlylockedthereon by turning the hand-wheel d8 until the IOO IIO

point d5 enters the recess in the last and forces the latter against thepoints c c. Then the levers n n are adjusted about their pivots untilthe jaws of the forward grippers are parallel to the edges of the soleof the last, and the carriage is also adjusted to carry the saidgrippers in position to grasp the edges of the upper in front of theball. Then the foot-levert is depressed, which at one action causes thefront gripper to tightly grip the edges of the upper and draw themdownward, and as the grippers begin their drawing action after havinggrasped the upper the hand-wheel Z3 is turned so as to feed the carriage7s forward. Thus the upper is drawn taut over the last downward andforward toward the toe with an even pressure on both sides of the last.After this has been accomplished the handwheels m6 are rotated to forcethe levers m and their grippers inward under the last far enough toallow of tacks being driven through the edges of the upper into theinsole. Then the lever s is depressed and the grippers at the shankgrasp the edges of the upper and draw the said upper taut downward andinward under the shank of the last. The extreme toe portion of the upperis lasted over by means of manually-operated pinceis,\vhich may befulcrumed in the notches c2, as hercinbefore explained. The upper is nowready to be tacked to the insole, so that after depressing the lever e3to disengage the latch e from the notched collar b2 the operatorpartially revolves the whole head and brings the sole uppermost, asshown in Fig. 4:, where he can easily drive the tacks through the edgesof the upper into the insole.

It will be observed that by constructing a machine in accordance withthe foregoing I provide a revoluble abutment, which operates to resistthe thrust of the grippers and against which the latter exert theirforce in drawing an upper taut over a last, and that after the upper hasbeen suitably stretched over the last the grippers maybe disengaged fromthe foot-levers or power devices and the whole head or abutmentpartially rotated, the grippers remaining locked during this operation.This is of importance in my invention, since the last being arrangedsole downward the operator may watch the upper during the stretchingprocess to prevent it from being drawn out of shape or stretched too faron one side or the other, and if by chance the upper has been stretchedtoo far on one side by one of the front grippers he may easily adjustthe grippers by means of the handwheels m to lay it properly over thelast.

The grippers are automatically locked in position to maintain the upperin its stretched condition and remain so when the head is revolved; nordoes the adjustment of the front grippers change their relationship tothe lever t, for it will be observed that the hanger has a long fingerq, which extends under the projecting portion of the head and slidesthereunder when the carriage is adjusted. Again, by constructing thegrippers as hereinbefore described their jaws are automatically clampedtogether on the upper and then they are moved bodily by a singlemovement of the foot-lever, so that two distinct operations with twoseparate mechanisms for clamping the jaws together and operating thegrippers are not necessary.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the detailsot' construction which are shown and described, since it may be embodiedin machines of other forms and provided with mechanism other than thatillustrated in the drawings.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way ofconstructing and using the same, although without attempting to setforth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes ofits use, I declare that what I claim is- 1. In a machine for stretchinguppers, the combination of a reversible support affording an abutmentfor a last; upper grasping and stretching means carried by said support;a lock to hold said means in grasping and stretching condition; and anoperating member on a iixed support, the said upper grasping andstretching means and the said operating member having disconnected partsinterlocking only for combined movement relative to the reversiblesupport.

2. In a machine for stretching uppers, the combination of a supportrotativel y mounted for reversibility and affording an abutment for alast; upper grasping and stretching means carried by said support; alock to hold said means in grasping and stretching condition; and anoperating member on a fixed support, said means and theoperating memberhaving disconnected parts interlocking for combined movement relative tothe reversible support, without obstructing rotary movement of thelatter.

In a machine for stretching uppers, the combination of a reversiblesupport affording an abutment for a last; a carriage longitudinallymovable on said support; upper grasping and stretching means on saidcarria-ge; a lock to hold said means in grasping and stretchingcondition; and an operating member on a fixed support, said operatingmember and the grasping and stretching means having disconnected partsinterlocking for combined movement relative to the reversible support,with provision for adjustment of the carriage longitudinally of saidsupport.

4. In a machine for stretching uppers, the combination of a supportaffording an abutment for a last; grippers movably mounted on saidsupport so as to move transversely of and toward and away from the lastthereon; and a toggle between the grippers and the support and operatingboth to close the grippers and to move the same relatively to thesupport.

5. In a machine for stretching uppers, the combination of a supportaffording an abutment for a last, an arm pivoted to the said IOO IIO

support and having a jaw to engage one side of an upper on such last, acomplemental jaw to engage the opposite side of the upper, a-

lever pivotally connected with the arm and with the complemental jaw,and a toggle one member of which is connected with the said lever andthe other with the support.

6. A machine for stretching uppers, comprisin g alast, an abutmenttherefor, two pairs of oppositely arranged grippers, and means forcausing one pair of grippers to be moved inwardly under the last, andadditional means for causing the other pair of grippers to be movedlongitudinally of the last.

7. In a machine for stretching uppers, the combination of areversiblesupport affording an abutment for a last; grippers on said support andarranged to act upon an upper on such last; means carried by the supportfor closing the grippers on the upper and for moving them to stretch thesame, said means including a reciprocating bar having a head or lateralprojection; an automatic lock associated with said bar; and an operatingmember on a fixed support and having a part coacting with the projectionor head on said bar to secure combined movement of the latter and theoperating member relative to the reversible support.

8. A machine for stretching uppers, comprising a reversible abutment toreceive a last, two pivoted gripping-arms pivoted to the abutment andeach having a coacting gripping-arm connected thereto, a stationarystandard, an operating-lever mounted on said standard, and suitableconnections between said lever and the gripping devices.

9. A machine for stretching uppers, comprising an abutment,gripping-jaws arranged adjacent the abutment, means for closing the jawsand moving them transversely of the last, and additional means formoving said jaws longitudinally of the last.

10. A machine for stretching uppers, com' the jaws bodily movable in thedirection of its length, means for closing the jaws and swinging thelever transversely of the last, means for adjusting said leverlongitudinally toward and from the last, and means for adj ustin gsaidleverbodilylongitudiually of the last.

12. A machine for stretching uppers, comprising an abutment,gripping-jaws arranged adjacent the abutment, a pivoted lever for thejaws, means for closing the jaws and swinging the lever transversely ofthe last, and means for adjusting said lever to present the jaws withtheir edges parallel to the edge of the sole of the last.

13. A machine for stretching uppers, comprising an abutment,gripping-jaws arranged adjacent the abutment,means for causing the jawsto stretch the upper, a pivotal support for said jaws adjustable topresent their edges parallel to the edge of thesole of the last, andmeans for locking said support against backward movement on its pivot,substantially as described.

14. A machine for stretching uppers comprising an abutment adapted toreceive a last, gripping-jaws mounted upon the said abutment, a carriagemovable relatively to the abutment, gripping-j aws mounted on saidcarriage, and means for operating said jaws to stretch the upper.

15. Ina machine for stretching uppers, the combination of a reversiblesupport aordin g an abutment for a last, a reciprocating pin on saidsupport and adapted to engage the vlast and hold it against theabut-ment, and

means for manipulating said pin.

16. In a machine for stretching uppers, the combination of a reversiblesupport affording an abutment for a last, a reciprocating pin on saidsupport and adapted to engage the last and hold it against the abutment,means for moving said pin into engagement with the last, and anautomatic lock to hold said pin in such engagement.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 13th day of January, A. D.1897.

WILLIAM S. HAMM.

Witnesses:

A. D. HARRISON, P. W. PEZZETTI.

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